North Korea has reportedly approved the visit of about 140 students from Korea University in Japan and allowed Korean students to visit as well.
On July 21, the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a special permit for Korea University students to visit at the end of August. The newspaper stated, “It is known that North Korea has explained that students with South Korean nationality can also visit.”
Since the global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, North Korea has implemented a border lockdown for over three years. The newspaper noted that this group visit is the first since the pandemic began.
Mainichi Shimbun reported, “The visitors will be fourth-year students from Korea University, divided into several groups to stay in North Korea for about a month from August to November.” It also noted that “when using North Korea’s Air Koryo from Beijing, each individual is allowed to bring up to 50kg of luggage.”
The report mentioned that it remains unclear to what extent visits to local areas or relatives will be permitted, as North Korea is reportedly continuing to enforce strict quarantine measures.
North Korea, with its weak medical infrastructure, has been highly sensitive to infectious diseases. On March 26, a second-round qualifier match for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup between North Korea and Japan, scheduled to be held in Pyongyang, was canceled due to North Korea’s notification. This decision was analyzed to be due to concerns about reports of the spread of Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) in Japan.
The recent approval of a group visit by North Korea has been interpreted as part of an effort to expand exchanges with the outside world. In fact, from August 13 to 16, Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), visited North Korea. This was the first visit by a UN agency head since 2019, before the pandemic.
On the other hand, some analysts speculate that Kim Jong Un, who declared South Korea an enemy state, may have intended to explain this to the Koreans in Japan, ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan. Given the sudden emphasis on anti-reunification in North Korea, which has previously promoted reunification, there may be a need to explain this shift.
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